Music & Pop Culture
Rock'n Roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll or rock 'n' roll) is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and 1950s, primarily from a combination of African-American genres such as blues, and country music. Though elements of rock and roll can be heard in blues records from the 1920s and in country records of the 1930s, the genre did not acquire its name until the 1950s.
In the rock and roll styles, either the piano or saxophone was often the lead instrument, but these were generally replaced or supplemented by guitar. Rock and rollis usually played with one or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm), a string bass, and a drum set. Beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and on television, influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. Usually, rock'n roll lyrics were about have a good time, have fun, dance, so lyrics are extremely easy to understand, repetitive specially on the chorus. It's possible to make reference to sex, but always in a hidden way because of the social pressure and the need to sell music.
Rock'n Roll songs are not to long, because of the media (vinyls could only include three minutes) and the bored effect of a repetitive chorus. Almost all rock'n roll songs used the song form (verse and chorus structure).
Johnny B. Good (Chuck Berry)
Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 rock-and-roll song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. The song was a major hit among both black and white audiences, peaking at number two on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its Hot 100 chart.
"Johnny B. Goode" is considered one of the most recognizable songs in the history of popular music. Credited as "the first rock & roll hit about rock & roll stardom", it has been recorded by many other artists and has received several honors and accolades. The song is also ranked seventh on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Rockabilly
Rockabilly was a musical product taken from the rock'n roll success. Rock'n Roll was black music, and US society and US music industry tried to copy the success of this genre into a new genre. The name 'rockabilly' was taken from a 1940's music, influenced by blues and country music (folk american music). This new style used the same instruments than the rock'n roll, but normally included choir and sometimes a bow string orchestra. The lyrics were softer than R'nR, talking about youth, true love and friendship. Somehow, this music tried to attach a whole white generation to the principles of the former generations. Rhythm in this style was a secondary element, and usually used a slow-mid tempo. It was born in US, specially in Tennessee and and Memphis, around 1955. Initially, it was popularised by artists such as the Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins.
Beat
It was developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll and rockabilly. It is said beat included the rock'n roll rhythm with the rockabilly fancy and lyrics. The genre provided many of the bands responsible for the British invasion of the American pop charts starting in 1964, and provided the model for many important developments in pop and rock music, including the format of the rock group around lead and rhythm guitar and bass with drums. They also took vocal harmonies from rockabilly style.
Lyrics were deep feeling, but simple and easy to remember. The music form used was the song form. The most important rock band was The Beatles, but not the only one: The Hollies, the Searches, the Animals
All you have to do is dream (The Everly Brothers)
"All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a popular song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by Boudleaux Bryant of the husband and wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No. 141 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is in AABA form.
By far the best-known version was recorded by The Everly Brothers and released as a single in April 1958. It had been recorded by The Everly Brothers live in just two takes on March 6, 1958, and features Chet Atkins on guitar.
How do you do? (Gerry and the pacemakers)
Gerry and the Pacemakers was an English beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin.
They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with their first three single releases: "How Do You Do It?", "I Like It" and "You'll Never Walk Alone".
Rock
Rock was one of the most famous styles from the sixties. It was a developed of black rock'n roll music, with some characteristics from blues, beat and country music. One of the purpose of rock music was to retake the blues experience. It was developed in both US and UK. It is said that the Beatles and The Rolling Stones developed this style in America, listening american rock bands. In fact, Rock was the solution to a musical crisis: Rock'n Roll wasn't in fashion and beat was too sweet for a grow-up audience. So Rock music was presented as the music of a new generation.
Rock music used the same instruments than beat music, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drum set and electric bass, but the way they sang was different: the singer normally used burning-up words and inappropiate language on the lyrics, and kind of broken voice (just like blues did). There was a predominance of the guitar and the drum set (guitars dominated line ups and guitar solo was taken from RnR music, and rock music always used a fast tempo, in 4/4 bar. Some bands were the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Cream, the Yardbirds, the Beach Boys and Fleetwood Mac.
Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones)
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London, England in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Mick Jagger (lead vocals), Keith Richards (guitar, backing vocals), Bill Wyman (bass), Charlie Watts (drums), and Ian Stewart (piano).
The Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them fourth on the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" list and their estimated album sales are above 250 million. They have released 30 studio albums, 18 live albums and numerous compilations.
Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It often uses new recording techniques and effects and draws on non-Western sources such as the ragas and drones of Indian music.
It was pioneered by musicians including the Beatles, the Byrds, and the Yardbirds, emerging as a genre during the mid-1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in the United Kingdom and United States, such as Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, the Doors and Pink Floyd. It reached a peak in between 1967 and 1969 with the Summer of Love and Woodstock Rock Festival, respectively, becoming an international musical movement and associated with a widespread counterculture, before beginning a decline as changing attitudes, the loss of some key individuals and a back-to-basics movement, led surviving performers to move into new musical areas.
Psychedelic rock influenced the creation of psychedelic pop and psychedelic soul. It also bridged the transition from early blues- and folk music-based rock to progressive rock, glam rock, hard rock and as a result influenced the development of sub-genres such as heavy metal. Since the late 1970s it has been revived in various forms of neo-psychedelia.
Progressive Rock
Progressive rock, also known as prog rock or prog, is a rock music subgenre that originated in the United Kingdom. It developed from psychedelic rock, and originated, similarly to art rock, as an attempt to give greater artistic weight and credibility to rock music.Bands abandoned the short pop single in favor of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz or classical music in an effort to give rock music the same level of musical sophistication and critical respect.
Progressive rock abandons the danceable beat that defines rock& roll and beat and is more likely to experiment with compositional structure, instrumentation, harmony and rhythm, and lyrical content. It may demand more effort on the part of the listener than other types of music. Musicians in progressive rock typically display a high degree of instrumental skill. Musical forms are blurred through the use of extended sections and of musical interludes that bridge separate sections together, which results in classical-style suites. Early progressive rock groups expanded the timbral palette of the then-traditional rock instrumentation by adding instruments more typical of folk music, jazz or music in the classical tradition. A number of bands, especially at the genre's onset, recorded albums in which they performed together with a full orchestra. Progressive rock artists are more likely to explore complex time signatures such as 5/8 and 7/8. Tempo, key and time signature changes are common within progressive rock compositions.
Songs were replaced by musical suites that often stretched to 20 or 40 minutes in length and contained symphonic influences, extended musical themes, philosophical, mystical and/or surreal lyrics and complex orchestrations.
Progressive rock saw a high level of popularity with bands such as Jethro Tull, The Moody Blues, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer or Deep Purple.
'Roundabout (Yes)
"Roundabout" is a song by the English rock band Yes from their fourth studio album Fragile, released in November 1971. It was written by singer Jon Anderson and guitarist Steve Howe and produced by the band and Eddy Offord. The song originated when the band were on tour and travelled from Aberdeen to Glasgow, and went through many roundabouts on the way.
The song was released as an edited single in the US in January 1972 with "Long Distance Runaround", another track from Fragile, as the B-side. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on the Cash Box Top 100 singles charts. In 1973, Anderson and Howe won a BMI Award for writing the song.
Folk Rock
It is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States around the mid-1960s. The genre was pioneered by the Los Angeles band The Byrds, who began playing traditional folk music and Bob Dylan-penned material with rock instrumentation, in a style heavily influenced by The Beatles and other British bands.
In a broader sense, folk rock includes later similarly-inspired musical genres and movements in the English-speaking world (and its Celtic and Filipino fringes) and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Europe. As with any genre, the borders are difficult to define. Folk rock may lean more toward folk or toward rock in its instrumentation, its playing and vocal style, or its choice of material; while the original genre draws on music of Europe and North America, there is no clear delineation of which folk cultures music might be included as influences.
Folk music tries to use non-electric instruments, but it can be perfectly normal to use them from time to time. The most important instrument is the acoustic guitar, but sometimes it can be a bass, drum set or another kind of instruments. The lyrics are usually about your own experience in life, spiritual issues or even political criticism.
This style was very close to the hippie movement and philosophy. Some rock bands and artist related with this style were Bob Dylan, The Animals, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Simon & Garfunkel or Donovan.
The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel)
"The Sound of Silence", originally "The Sounds of Silence", is a song by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel. The song was written by Paul Simon over a period of several months in 1963 and 1964. Released in October 1964, the album was a commercial failure and led to the duo breaking apart, with Paul Simon returning to England and Art Garfunkel to his studies at Columbia University. In the spring of 1965, the song began to attract airplay at radio stations in Boston, Massachusetts, and throughout Florida.
The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending January 1, 1966, leading the duo to reunite and hastily record their second album, which Columbia titled Sounds of Silence in an attempt to capitalize on the song's success.
Country Rock
Country rock music is a genre of American popular music that originated in the United States in the 1960s. It takes its roots from the southeastern genre of American folk music called Country music and Bluegrass from jazz.
Country music often consists of ballads and dance tunes with generally simple forms and harmonies accompanied by mostly string instruments such as banjos, electric and acoustic guitars, dobros and fiddles as well as harmonicas. Drum sets put a rock taste in this music.
The term country music is used today to describe many styles and subgenres. The origins of country music are the folk music of mostly white, working-class Americans, who blended popular songs, Irish and Celtic fiddle tunes, traditional ballads, and cowboy songs, and various musical traditions from European immigrant communities.
Some artist are Johnny Cash, Charlie McCoy and Creedence Clearwater Revival
Walk the line (Johnny Cash)
"I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first number one hit on the Billboard charts. It reached number 17 on the US pop charts. It remained on the record charts for over 43 weeks, and sold over 2 million copies.
Johnny Cash was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and author. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 90 million records worldwide. Although primarily remembered as a country music icon, his genre-spanning songs and sound embraced rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, folk, and gospel.
Rhythm'n Blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B or RnB, is a genre of popular African-American music that originated in the 1940s, but took some relevance during the 60's. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, saxophone, and commonly background vocalists. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy. Lyrics focus heavily on the themes of triumphs and failures in terms of relationships, freedom, economics, aspirations, and sex.
In its origins, RnB got the musical feeling of jazz, specially blues, but with the born of RnR the style suffered a mix-up with new genres.
Some artist of RnB were Aretha Franklin, The Chords, Bo Didley, Sam Cooke
What a wonderful world (Sam Cooke)
"Wonderful World" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. Released on April 14, 1960 by Keen Records, it had been recorded during an impromptu session the previous year, Cooke's last recording session at Keen Records. He signed with RCA Victor in 1960 and "Wonderful World," then unreleased, was issued as a single in competition. The song was mainly composed by songwriting team Lou Adler and Herb Alpert, but Cooke revised the lyrics to mention the subject of education more.
Sam Cooke (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), was an American singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur.
Influential as both a singer and composer, he is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocals and importance within popular music. He began singing as a child and joined The Soul Stirrers before moving to a solo career where he scored a string of hit songs like "You Send Me", "Wonderful World", "Chain Gang", and "Twistin' the Night Away".
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Soul
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in early 1960s. It combined elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues, and often jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States – where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax labels were influential during the period of the civil rights movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa.
Just as the word describes, soul style is full of passion, so usually lyrics are about love, civil rights or personal freedom. The tempo uses to be slower than RnB and it uses a choir and even a string orchestra. Perhaps the most important enhancement was the kind of voice required for this style: a powerful voice full of vibrato. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other characteristics are a call and response between the soloist and the chorus, and an especially tense vocal sound. The style also occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds.
Some artist in this style were Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Ben E. King, Marvin Gaye or the Temptations.
Stand by me (Ben E. King)
"Stand by Me" is a song, originally performed by American singer-songwriter Ben E. King, and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller. According to King, the title is derived from, and was inspired by, a spiritual written by Sam Cooke and J. W. Alexander called "Stand by Me Father," recorded by the Soul Stirrers with Johnnie Taylor singing lead. There have been over 400 recorded versions of the song, performed by many artists. It was featured on the soundtrack of the 1986 film Stand by Me, and a corresponding music video was released to promote the film.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Stylistically, reggae incorporates some of the musical elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, African music, as well as other genres. One of the most easily recognizable elements is offbeat rhythms; staccato chords played by a guitar or piano (or both) on the offbeats of the measure. The concept of "call and response" can be found throughout reggae music.
The bass guitar often plays the dominant role in reggae. The bass sound in reggae is thick and heavy, and equalized so the upper frequencies are removed and the lower frequencies emphasized. The guitar in reggae usually plays on the off beat of the rhythm. It is common for reggae to be sung in Jamaican English. Reggae is noted for its tradition of social criticism and religion in its lyrics, although many reggae songs discuss lighter, more personal subjects, such as love and socializing.
Reggae has spread to many countries across the world, often incorporating local instruments and fusing with other genres. Main character of this style was Bob Marley. Other artist were Jimmy Cliff or Prince Buster
No woman, no cry(Bob Marley)
"No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The song first became known in 1974 from the studio album Natty Dread. This studio version used a drum machine. The live version from the 1975 album Live! was released as a single and is the best known version; it was included on the greatest hits compilation Legend, and was recorded at the Lyceum Theatre in London on July 19, 1975 as part of his Natty Dread Tour.
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